Popularity Contest: 1000th Ad Placement

Friday, April 30, 2010

It has been a long week for yours truly but alas Friday is here and I'm looking forward to a weekend getting caught up on movies I've been wanting to see on DVD.

Last weekend, I watched The Blind Side and The Lovely Bones. This week we have New Moon and The Vampire's Assistant (yes, I know...I'm in a paranormal state of mind).

What do you have planned for the first weekend in May?

If you're like me...you'll be whining (Boo Hoo! Waah!) a little about missing out on the RT Convention AGAIN this year. Here's hoping that I can make it to RWA Nationals in July, though. Any of you headed down south in July for that?

So, what can we do to have a little fun around here? How about a new contest & WINNERS from this past week here at the blog?

First up...I'm proud to announce that I've sold a 3 book (novella) series to Solstice Publishing. It is the Dessert Divas Series and they are Sexy but Sweet tales of the women of Sea Crest, Florida!

The first book in the series is entitled When Ginger Snapped and I've included the cover & blurb below for you. I should have a release date shortly! The second book is entitled When Cherry Spies and stay tuned for more details on this one very soon!

Blurb:

Combine a cheating husband and holiday shopping season madness and it’s enough to drive a mother straight to jail.Literally.

Meet Ginger Lockhart, a newly single mom who can’t take anymore of the emotional turmoil of her pending divorce or the holiday madness of the approaching Christmas season.In this hilarious yet heart wrenching tale of a woman on the brink of madness, Ginger finally snaps and ends up in jail.

Things soon take a turn for the sublime when she meets sexy massage therapist Caston DeLuca and he works his magical hands on her. Only then, can she begin to let the insanity and complications of life slip away but will he become more than just a one session soother?

Find out in the first of a new series by romance author Kerri Nelson.Meet the Dessert Divas, everything in life should be this sweet!

TODAY'S NEW CONTEST!

In honor of my dessert divas, share a yummy dessert recipe of your own creation that I can use in Book 2 (When Cherry Spies)! I'll give you credit for it in the book & you'll get a free copy of the book! Submit your entries via e-mail to me at: thebookboost@gmail.com Deadline to enter: May 31, 2010.

“What? Oh, okay! I see what you’re meaning. That could even be funny, you know. Did you mean for it to be?”

“Just horsin‘ around. What can I do for you?”

“I was given your name and number by your dad, Fred Williams, Jr. He seems like a really nice guy. We talked for a long time, and then he gave me your phone number so that I could call you. What a great guy!”

“Great isn‘t even close to how I‘d describe him right now, Sam. Old Fred is quite a guy, and then some. Now look, I have some work I have to get done, and I know you didn’t call just to tell me just how much you like sweet old Fred. What can I do for you?”

“Ed, I wanted to know if you’d like to help America’s next humor writing superstar!”

“Well, tell me the name of the person and what they’ve done, and then we can talk more.”

“Ed, with all due respect, I’m talkin’ about myself!”

“Sam, you write?”

“I sure do, Ed. Let me tell you a little about what I’ve written. For the last six months I’ve written something every day, in fact, I write at least two pages each day no matter what!”

“Sam, that’s very impressive. What kind of stuff do you write?”

“Well, I love to write stories about growing up in a small Southern town. I grew up in Shady Dale, Georgia, so my manuscript is a bunch of funny stories about all the crazy things we did when I was growing up there.”

“That’s great, Sam, I give you a lot of credit for being persistent enough to complete an entire manuscript. That’s quite an accomplishment. What’s next for you?”

“That’s where you come in, Ed.”

“That’s where I come in? What’re you talking about?”

“Ed, look. I know getting a book published is hard. Real hard. And I’m sitting here with all these great stories about growing up in Shady Dale - I have no doubt that they’ll be popular and sell tons of books. That’s where you come in, and that’s where you can help me. You can get me in front of a publisher in no time, and then I’ll convince them that they need to publish my book!”

“I can do that? How?”

“Just introduce me to the people over at Champagne Books, your publisher. I’ll take it from there. Once they see my stories, I guarantee you they’ll want to do a book.”

“Ummmmm, Sam, I don’t quite know quite how to say this, but my own stuff happens to be “growing up in the country” stories set in Juliette. If I bring Champagne your stories, which also seem to be “growing up in the country” stories set in Shady Dale, then I’m competing with myself. And that’s a not a very smart thing for me to do.”

“Ed, you’re being a little selfish here, aren’t you? I know my stories are better, but I’ll bet you could still find someone to continue publishing yours. Champagne is just one publisher, I’ll sure you could find another one.”

“Exactly, Sam, which is why you should take the initiative and go out and find your own publisher. I wish you the best in your search.”

“You’re not gonna help me? Don’t you think you’re being a little selfish here, Ed?”

“No, Sam, I don‘t. I wish you the best of luck.”

“Man, this isn’t how your dad Fred said it would go. I trusted him, especially after reading so much about him. Mr. Fred said you like helping new writers, and here I am asking you for help, and you don’t wanna help me.”

“Sam, tell you what, I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll help you out with Champagne if you’ll go out first and find me another publisher. Then we’d be even, you’ll have a publisher and I’ll have a publisher. Whatcha think?”

“I gotta run, Ed. The wife is hollering for me. Tell Fred hello!”

*click*........................

Thanks Ed for an early morning chuckle! Now, please tell us more about your amazing book...I'm a southern girl myself and there's nothing wrong with a little Christmas in April, eh?

Click the cover to purchase your copy today!

Blurb:

Christmas isn't just about sugar plum fairies and reindeer dancing across the sky. It can also be about red clay chunk wars, cock fighting, dead people who may really not be, and more! Get set for a wild, wild Christmas ride when you read ChristmaSin', Southern Outlaw Author Ed Williams' take on what a true Christmas in a small, rural Southern town is really all about! Learn about Christmas miracles happening in the most unlikely of settings, the early '70s in tiny Juliette, Georgia. It's a novel that could be true, in some places actually is, and one that will both warm the heart and tickle the funny bone!

Excerpt:

(During the annual Christmas celebration at the Juliette Methodist Church, December 1972, as told by a 17 year old Ed Williams. We pick it up at this tender point...)

You total these two women up, Miss Evelyn and Miss Annie Bell, and you have two solid women who don’t back off from a whole lot. And they don’t regarding this megaton fart that Miss Simulah has just put out. Miss Evelyn gets the ball rolling when she whispers loudly, "My goodness, someone needs to change their eating habits, I think we’ve been graced with the after effects of someone who’s enjoyed a lunch of red hots and baked beans." That is a shot aimed right at Miss Simulah, cause everyone knows she loves those damn cheap ass red hot sausages (Ed Jr. said one time that she likes them because she never gets a helping of some true pink trouser sausage, but Mama came in before he could say much more about that) more than anyone around these here parts. Miss Simulah blushes a tad and looks away from Miss Evelyn, trying to act like she didn’t hear what she’d said, and that’s when she looks right into Miss Annie Bell’s face. You can tell it sort of shakes Miss Simulah up to be looking right at Miss Annie Bell, and it gets even worse when Miss Annie Bell whispers, "Simulah, we are in the House of the Lord, and what I’m about to say isn’t very Christian, but it needs to be said. I can put up with your body stink, even though I shouldn’t have to, but when you blend in the fruit of your ass with it, why, it’s just too damned much. You can either excuse yourself and go home, or else we can have a real set-too right here. I mean it. I’m not whiffing your ass pearls for the rest of this night, dearie."

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Today's Guest Blogger is YA author Sandra Cox. She's chatting about the variety of vampires available to us these days! Check out what she has to say and leave a comment to be eligible to win a copy of smashingly fabulous book Vampire Island (now available from Class Act Books)!

Now... here's Sandra...

Vampires...

They frighten and fascinate. For years vampires were the stereotypical black caped, coffin variety that could turn into a bat and fly away at a moments notice, outlined against the moon. These vamps had fangs that sucked their victims’ blood and secreted venom. They only came out at night, because they fried in the sunlight. Humans were nothing but a food source. And even though we feared and loathed them, they still held us enthrall.

Today that has changed. Vampires come in all varieties. Not only are there the badass villain-vamps, but there are now hero vamps that we love and lust for. Vamps that protect frail humans. We have Angel from the Buffy series, Nora Robert's Ciane,and Stephanie Meyer's phenom Edward to name a few. The new vamps can be out during the day as long as it’s overcast. And Edward doesn't have the classic fangs. He has regular teeth though they are still laced with venom.

Vampire Island has the classic villain vampires and the pranic variety. The pranics can be good or bad and instead of sucking blood, suck energy from their victims. The good pranics know when to stop before they do serious damage. Like their counterparts, pranics operate best at night. That is when their energy level is at its highest and their vision at its best. Sunlight burns their skin.

Given the wide scope of vampires, who are some of your favorites?Which vampire do you loathe? Which do you love?

For an opportunity to win a PDF of Vampire Island just leave a comment. The drawing will be held Sunday.

**Check the comments section of this post for the Winner (Sandra will post the winner there). You must e-mail the Book Boost (thebookboost@gmail.com) to claim your prize!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Need help with your book pitch? Planning to go to Nationals? Come out and enjoy a month long pitch class where class members will get top notch coaching on how to get Pitch Perfect! Normally this is a 2 week class and we only have time to work on 1 pitch per student BUT in this class, you'll get to polish up to 2 separate pitches!

At the end of class, I'll even have a special guest editor appear to read our pitches and make comments. Sometimes they will even make requests for more for those class members brave enough to take the challenge! In my December class, we had 5 requests out of 9 participants and 2 of those requests were subsequently offered contracts!

Don't miss out on the this invaluable "pre-game" warm-up session that will have you pitching like a pro in no time!

Over the past five years, Kerri has pitched more than thirty different books in every imaginable genre (from erotica to young adult) to multiple agents and editors with a tremendous success rate for follow-up requests for both partial and full manuscripts. She has sold twelve of those books in just one year after perfecting her pitch process!

In this intensive refresher course, Kerri offers up the secrets to

• Nailing your pitch• How to score a home run with editors• How not to stop short of getting the results you want!

Hit a home run with the book contract you’ve been waiting for!

Author Bio:

Kerri Nelson has always been passionate about reading books but when she wrote her first poem in the second grade, she discovered her love of writing.At the age of sixteen, she became a columnist for her local newspaper as the high school correspondent for the weekly "Panther Tales" column. She won the Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts.

After an education and career in the legal field, Kerri began to pen romantic suspense novels with a legal or law enforcement theme.She is a true southern belle and comes complete with her dashing southern gentleman husband and three adorable children. When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll find her baking homemade goodies for her family, feeding her addiction to blogging online or designing custom made book trailers.Kerri is an active member of Romance Writers of America as well as numerous Chapters including Gothic Romance Writers, Futuristic Fantasy & Paranormal, and Celtic Hearts Romance Writers.

Kerri is a multi-published author of romance in every genre from romantic suspense and paranormal to young adult and inspirational novels.In 2009, Kerri wrote and sold twelve books to multiple publishers using her Book Factory method.Her latest paranormal romantic suspense “Courting Demons” will release from Dorchester Publishing in 2011.

For more information or help with registration, contact the education coordinator with the LRWA chapter: Online Workshop Coordinator, Veronica Alderson, lrwaonline@yahoo.com using the Subject line: LRWA ONLINE WORKSHOP

(1) Entire month of personal mentorship including unlimited e-mail contact for 1 month exclusively for you! Need help with your pitch? Want to talk over your manuscript submission or a contest entry? I'll be there for you;

(1) Personalized writing plan (We'll develop your future goals in a time line plan!); and

Woot! Congrats! I look forward to working with you and I'll be in touch soon.

Now, for those of you who would like to vote in the Book Boost's Best Title contest (for a free month of cover ad promotion at the blog). All you need to do is join the Book Boost Lounge Yahoo Group (the link is located on the left side bar of this blog).

Then visit the Polls page of our group and cast your vote before April 23rd!